View Full Version : Parts of the Appalachian Trail that you do not like?
This is directed at thru hikers but section hikers are more than welcome to chime in. I would like to hear thoughts from other thru hikers on this.
When you thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, what parts of the trail did you not like?
I am referring to climbs, decants, crossing of just crappy parts of the trail that you did not like.
Please explain the location and why you did not like that section.
Slo-go'en
07-13-2016, 23:36
Not all of PA is bad, but overall it's my least favorite state. Why? All the rock obstacle courses. "Just painting blazes on trees doesn't make a trail" was something one of the guys I was hiking with was fond of saying about PA.
swjohnsey
07-14-2016, 06:20
Rollercoaster south of Harpers Ferry is just wore out, poorly maintained trail. Hundred mile wilderness is about the same.
Didn't care for the road noise in certain stretches -- like the stretch just north of RPH shelter in NY or that race track in CT.
most of MA, from jug end until you reach the summit of greylock, is just dreadful. nothing much in the way of views, swamps, bugs, lots of ordinary trail through not especially interesting (to me) forest. upper goose pond is nice, but what else is there? when a bridge over a highway is the most interesting thing thats a bad sign.
i'm sure some stretch of PA is a tie or a close second but i cant think of an exact one and i generally hiked the worst part as a series of short day hikes so my perspective on it is different.
fiddlehead
07-14-2016, 08:09
Loved it all.
.
If I didn't like it, I would go somewhere else.
Gambit McCrae
07-14-2016, 08:20
I have only done 930 miles or so, have only redone about 150 miles of sections.
I am trying to find a section to complain about but when I think of climbs, overgrown trail, flooded trail, I just kept saying "Well it wasn't that bad".
I am looking forward to Penmar, PA - Salisbury, CT.
If I had an overall peeve about the trail it would be when the trail is so overgrown the bushes are falling over from each side of the trail and your having to push through them to move on down the way. (The Captains Place North to Sinking Creek)
BUT, when I'm pushing thru all that crap I smile and say "Well you aint out here cutting this crap out of the way so quit complaining about it".
The NB MA section approaching Rt 7 which is S of Great Barrington. I've never seen so many mosquitoes in all my life. I donated a lot of blood in that section.
Puddlefish
07-14-2016, 09:39
I only did GA to Bland, VA. I hated the road stretch along the Fontana Dam, and the entrance to the Smokies. The road stretch from rt 52 to rt 612 in Bastion/Bland, VA. Noisy, hot smelly walks along pavement just kick me out of my wilderness groove. At least they weren't horribly long.
All the climbs/descents/rocks/overgrown/flooded trails... those were just part of the fun. I did get annoyed on a few stretches where lazy hikers expanded/widened/flat out made new downslope creating a slippery slope along cliff edges, all because they were too lazy to use the rock stairs that volunteers spent hundreds of hours installing for the purpose of creating a safe and erosion proof trail.
LittleRock
07-14-2016, 10:57
I've only done Springer to Daleville, VA, but I really didn't care for the climb over Pond Mtn in TN. 2000 ft climb, no views at the top, then 2000 ft descent. Heard shotgun blasts from the shooting range at the bottom of the mountain the entire way. Not what you'd expect on a national scenic trail.
GoldenBear
07-14-2016, 11:51
I hope I don't have to go into too much detail on why I did not enjoy Agony Grind
http://www.harrimanhiker.com/2014/08/agony-grind.html
beyond noting that I went down that part of The Trail in the rain.
My least favorite parts of the AT were:
Shenendoahs (boring)
Last 40 miles of PA (ankle biting rocks)
that part of MA that jbwood mentioned- and for the very same reason.
Whites (crowded and lots of rules) But the views were spectacular. I loved that campy snack bar on the top of Mt. Washington. So bizarre!
Loved the entire state of Maine from start to finish. New Jersey was a nice surprise.
The Solemates
07-14-2016, 12:30
ditto. never seen anything like it, and I've spent plenty of time in the bayou
The Solemates
07-14-2016, 12:31
ditto. never seen anything like it, and I've spent plenty of time in the bayou
sorry was referring to the MA section others have mentioned.
The parts with no views.
The parts with unnecessarily steep trail.
The parts with high humidity.
The parts with lots of bugs.
The parts with pointless ups and downs that go nowhere.
The parts with horrendous tread.
The parts that were so steep that hikers have widened the trail and trampled the vegetation to find somewhere with traction.
The parts with too many hikers.
The parts with the ticks.
I could go on, but that's enough.
Anyway, I'd say that 95+% of the AT is type-II fun at best. Maybe 5% of what I've done was thoroughly enjoyable. The percentage of type-I fun is many times higher on the CDT and PCT.
garlic08
07-14-2016, 13:45
The only part of a day I didn't enjoy on the AT was in my head. In the Green Mts in VT, when I should have been rejoicing about being there, I found myself looking forward to just getting a certain climb done, grinding up a hill to get it over with. Then I stopped and thought, this isn't an impediment, it's a beautiful mountain and another great day of hiking. Everything got fine again. That day I realized that hiking the AT had changed my view of hills. All hills are fun now, hiking and biking.
I didn't even mind hiking across a mosquito-infested swamp in NJ with muddy wet feet that were getting macerated. I learned how to deal with that problem and the day came out on the plus side.
I've section hiked from Springer to Franconia Notch as well as a few sections in the whites. I did not like the Whites. Scenic but, IMO, very difficult to hike. The PA rocks between Port Clinton and DWG were rough as well.
Lone Wolf
07-14-2016, 16:48
most of mass.
the end of SNP to harpers ferry
inn at the long trail to glenclif, n.h.
rocketsocks
07-14-2016, 17:24
The AT has to many mountain, and not enough opportunity to yellow blaze.
Lone Wolf
07-14-2016, 17:28
most of mass.
the end of SNP to harpers ferry
inn at the long trail to glenclif, n.h.
and any part of trail with manmade steps. i walk to the side of those
The AMC trail. For NOBO's you start out in Georgia and as you head North the trail becomes very familiar. The path is pretty much the same for the first 1800 miles. After 3 or 4 months you pretty much know the feel of the trail. You know what the treadway is like, the switchbacks, the shelters, the signs, the blazing etc. You get comfortable enough to hike "zoned out" in some sort of zen kind state and snap out of it every once in a while to look for a whiteblaze. It's a comfortable, enjoyable mindset that allows the miles to fly by. Then you get to the AMC trail and that comfortable, familiar trail goes away. Lousy treadway, no switchbacks, the trail names change every 2 miles, no whitebalzes, no useable shelters, the signs are a mess. No zen like state possible and it's a struggle. After you clear the AMC Trail and you get to Maine it all comes back and the AT becomes your friend again.
JumpMaster Blaster
07-14-2016, 22:46
Any part of the trail with sustained sideslope walking.
There's some parts between Hot Springs and Erwin where wild plants and poison ivy are shoulder high in late summer (Kale Gap, Lemon Gap, Jerry Cabin areas). You might as well be bushwhacking in the Amazon rainforest. Climbing up Beartown Mtn towards Roan near Ash Gap a few years back the vegetation was over 5' tall.
Of course I'd rather be out THERE complaining about it than sitting HERE writing about it.
Any part of the trail with sustained sideslope walking.
amen, that crap annoys the hell out of me, just go down the frikkin hill. seems like its often done to avoid a road walk, i'd rather walk on the road. i cant imagine very many who actually hike would disagree.
descending into salisbury CT and into duncannon and heading north into pen mar in particular come to mind
Traveler
07-15-2016, 11:53
Any part of the trail with sustained sideslope walking.
Do you mean traversing slopes when the trail is mostly level across the treadway, or where the trail itself is pitched at or about the same angle as the slope? The latter will get my ankles talking to me after a while, but not so much on leveled treadway.
Christoph
07-15-2016, 19:51
Well I only made it 742.7 miles in on my attempt, plus the 8.8 (give or take) Approach Trail to Springer in 2015. (Going to retry, but that's another story). The only thing I found I really didn't like about the trail, was the mental issues I ran into and ultimately the reason for throwing in the towel. As for the trail itself, the only part I can think of that I really started to get upset over (I don't know why really) was the logs and sharp rocks used for steps and erosion control. And now that I think of it, the concrete tent pads at Fontana Hilton area. So yea, pretty much anything man made, made it miserable haha.
MuddyWaters
07-15-2016, 20:17
And now that I think of it, the concrete tent pads at Fontana Hilton area. So yea, pretty much anything man made, made it miserable haha.
I dont like manmade bridges over every little 3 ft wide trickle. Who wants a trail to be like a walking path at a suburban campground?
Most of the AT trail clubs, thats who.
Misguided. One day it will all be wheelchair accessible.
jj dont play
07-15-2016, 21:23
I am currently in Vermont but pretty sure I will love the rest of the trail. The only part I have not liked is Bear Mountain/ the trail side zoo. Just felt like some sort of "good ole boy deal" to make the trail go through there. A lot of people oblivious to the trail and the concept of thru hikers who just stare at you as if you are one of the zoo animals as you pass on through. Come to think of it I didn't really like NY as a whole, for multiple reasons but I don't want to offend anyone from there [emoji1] Just got way to many blank stares when I greeted day hikers.
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Just felt like some sort of "good ole boy deal" to make the trail go through there.
someone will correct me f i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure the trail has always been there since day 1, that it was, at the time, very much in line with the intent of the trail as conceived by people who were from the region. i'm even pretty sure they envisioned things like that regularly placed up and down the trail to educate hikers about the local ares they were passing through (theres also a museum you probably skipped). different than the rest of the trail, for sure. kind of ghetto oo by modern zoo keeping standards for sure, but theres nothing shady or underhanded about it being there.
It's sacrilege but I don't like the Whites. Beautiful, yes! Fun? No.
It's sacrilege but I don't like the Whites. Beautiful, yes! Fun? No.
Embrace the suck. (Isn't that what they say?) ;)
Funny to hear a complaint about the Bear Mtn. zoo. It takes how long to walk through it? How about the Walt Whitman statue?
Oddly enough I missed it, I was SOBO and missed a blaze just after the big bridge, ended up walking along the shore of Hessian Lake before I rejoined the trail heading up the mountain. So I accidentally blue blazed a half mile or so. (That happens a lot.)
The route of the trail over that particular bridge was no accident at all. The bridge was built just in time, you might say, and there'd be no AT without it. It had a lot to do with MacKaye's connections with the rich and powerful in New York.
It's sacrilege but I don't like the Whites. Beautiful, yes! Fun? No.
Them is fighting words. ;)
I did not like Pennsylvania. I hated all those damn rocks... and where it was not rocky it was ridiculously flat. The Cumberland Valley was God awful hot.
Many for some reason loved the Doyle in Duncannon. I didn't like the hotel or this very ugly town. I bet the reason folks loved the Doyle so much is that there is a bar right underneath. To me that just makes the place noisier. Room prices were cheap and as they say you get what you pay for which is very little. Plus it's noisy... the walls don't keep out any sound. Too bad the town has few if any alternatives.
The whites are one of the Gems of the AT Jeffmeh! Yeah far steeper than I'd like but oh the views!
DavidNH
Many thru hikers dislike the Whites. It's a combination of inconsistent things, bad trails, the AMC, the unwillingness to improve the trail or have the same shelters as the rest of the AT. The stubborn New Englander's refuse to change one thing. The odd thing is that from the very beginning the Southerners hated the trail. The locals called it the "Government Trail" hated the loss of their land to make the trail and to this day many Locals in the South see the Hikers as odd intruders. New Englander's love the trail,(at least the AMC portion) they see it as theirs and would call a town meeting to block any attempt to change anything no matter how much improved the hiking would be. That's why they won't even call it the Appalachian Trail, They won't even allow the white blazes. It's no wonder that many Thru-hkiers hate it.
Funny to hear a complaint about the Bear Mtn. zoo. It takes how long to walk through it? How about the Walt Whitman statue?
indeed, a number of these seem to be about very short, very specific spots that one wouldnt think amounted to much in the grand scheme of things. i mean how long is "agony grind"? a mile? ive hiked, and i have little doubt i didnt enjoy it, but i dont even remember it.
Many thru hikers dislike the Whites. It's a combination of inconsistent things, bad trails, the AMC, the unwillingness to improve the trail or have the same shelters as the rest of the AT. The stubborn New Englander's refuse to change one thing. The odd thing is that from the very beginning the Southerners hated the trail. The locals called it the "Government Trail" hated the loss of their land to make the trail and to this day many Locals in the South see the Hikers as odd intruders. New Englander's love the trail,(at least the AMC portion) they see it as theirs and would call a town meeting to block any attempt to change anything no matter how much improved the hiking would be. That's why they won't even call it the Appalachian Trail, They won't even allow the white blazes. It's no wonder that many Thru-hkiers hate it.
what you miss is that people in the whites love HIKING and for better or worse, they treat all of THEIR hiking trails exactly the same and they love them all as is. the Appalachian trail is not some king of all hiking, at least not up there and not to them, for reasons that i think are pretty clear and obvious and understandable for anyone who cares to look at it in an unbiased manner.
we are intruders of a sort there. welcome ones, but ones who will not be catered to nor missed in the slightest were we to not hike their any longer.
Slo-go'en
07-16-2016, 11:16
indeed, a number of these seem to be about very short, very specific spots that one wouldnt think amounted to much in the grand scheme of things. i mean how long is "agony grind"? a mile? ive hiked, and i have little doubt i didnt enjoy it, but i dont even remember it.
Agony grind is more like 14 miles of steep rock climbs and descents. Their mostly short climbs, but there are a lot of them in that 14 miles and on a hot and humid day, it's not a lot of fun.
Agony grind is more like 14 miles of steep rock climbs and descents. Their mostly short climbs, but there are a lot of them in that 14 miles and on a hot and humid day, it's not a lot of fun.
well then i remember so poorly i dont remember what it is.
to be sure, NY west of the hudson is a serious of PUDS one after the other, but from anything i recall seeing on any maps, agony grind is one very specific hike covering basically one hill, the one immediately west of the crossing of route 17.
googling agony grind hike backs this up-
http://www.harrimanhiker.com/2014/08/agony-grind.html
jimmyjam
07-16-2016, 12:56
the 20 miles north and south of 501 in PA.
is that agony grind what is otherwise referred to as "the roller coaster?"
is that agony grind what is otherwise referred to as "the roller coaster?"
nope, though the larger area that slo is thinking of all being agony grind is a similar sort of concept
GoldenBear
07-16-2016, 14:18
When I referred to "Agony Grind" as the part of The Trail I did "not like," it was (indeed) the mere one mile or so just west (ie, "Trail South") of Highway 17. It was short, but very steep, and not something I really wanted to be going down along, during a rain that made the rocks even more slippery.
The fact that it was short did not make it any less a place I did not like. Indeed, if the entire A.T. was like the one mile of Agony Grind, I wouldn't have even considered doing the A.T. -- the walk would have been beyond my capabilities.
That doesn't mean Agony Grind was "a place that caused me to want to give up on the A.T."
It was only "a place I didn't like."
Which is what the OP was asking about.
Which is why I mentioned it.
When I referred to "Agony Grind" as the part of The Trail I did "not like," it was (indeed) the mere one mile or so just west (ie, "Trail South") of Highway 17. It was short, but very steep, and not something I really wanted to be going down along, during a rain that made the rocks even more slippery.
The fact that it was short did not make it any less a place I did not like. Indeed, if the entire A.T. was like the one mile of Agony Grind, I wouldn't have even considered doing the A.T. -- the walk would have been beyond my capabilities.
That doesn't mean Agony Grind was "a place that caused me to want to give up on the A.T."
It was only "a place I didn't like."
Which is what the OP was asking about.
Which is why I mentioned it.
i guess the lesson here is how different it is depending on how you experience it. i didnt go do down it in the rain, if i did, maybe id remember it.
i guess i am just thinking of the OP stating it was mostly geared to thrus, which makes me think of it in terms of bigger chunks, things a thru spends a few days or a week hiking through, but maybe i read too much into it
Many thru hikers dislike the Whites. It's a combination of inconsistent things, bad trails, the AMC, the unwillingness to improve the trail or have the same shelters as the rest of the AT. The stubborn New Englander's refuse to change one thing. The odd thing is that from the very beginning the Southerners hated the trail. The locals called it the "Government Trail" hated the loss of their land to make the trail and to this day many Locals in the South see the Hikers as odd intruders. New Englander's love the trail,(at least the AMC portion) they see it as theirs and would call a town meeting to block any attempt to change anything no matter how much improved the hiking would be. That's why they won't even call it the Appalachian Trail, They won't even allow the white blazes. It's no wonder that many Thru-hkiers hate it.
Hiking in Whites just isn't the kind of hiking I like to do. It's not my idea of fun. It has nothing to do with where it is, me being a Southerner, how locals feel about it or me, or any of that stuff.
In a nutshell, I don't like the topography.
Hiking in Whites just isn't the kind of hiking I like to do. It's not my idea of fun. It has nothing to do with where it is, me being a Southerner, how locals feel about it or me, or any of that stuff.
In a nutshell, I don't like the topography.
remembering when i bumped into you, you also didnt have much nice weather. ive hiked parts of it great weather and parts of it not, it makes a massive difference. bad weather makes it both harder and with much much less of a pay off. walking the northern presis on a clear day though.... i cant fathom how anyone wouldnt enjoy it if they enjoy hiking.
capehiker
07-17-2016, 22:16
People talk about the PA rocks but overlook its annoying step-sister: New Jersey. I absolutely hated the rocks between Mohican Outdoor Center and Culvers Gap. I found it to be completely pointless.
The long hot road walk in Cumberland Valley, PA, and other highly "civilized" areas like the big bridge crossings.
Give me rough rocky wild country with nasty climbs, sidehills, bugs, and swamps. Now, that's Hiking and that's why I'm there.
Offshore
07-19-2016, 13:21
Pinwheel Vista to Route 517 in NJ on a summer weekend afternoon.
Offshore
07-19-2016, 13:22
People talk about the PA rocks but overlook its annoying step-sister: New Jersey. I absolutely hated the rocks between Mohican Outdoor Center and Culvers Gap. I found it to be completely pointless.
There's lots of pointy rocks in that stretch!
Patrickjd9
07-19-2016, 14:47
The long hot road walk in Cumberland Valley, PA, and other highly "civilized" areas like the big bridge crossings.
I went to the Cumberland Valley expecting not to like it and ended up enjoying it. It helped to hit it during a stretch of dry, comfortable weather.
Misguided. One day it will all be wheelchair accessible.
Ypu should see the ADA approved privies we are building in Maine in the middle of the woods. Absolutely beautiful. The Bemis Mountain privy is a work of art...
Section hiker here: The only place that stands out to me is Stecoah Gap to Fontana Dam. Just boring. Very, very boring. Everything else I've loved.
The only part I disliked about the AT was having to come home after my section hike.